Taunton psychiatric patient captured after allegedly assaulting EMT

TAUNTON — A Morton Hospital psychiatric patient was captured in Taunton early Thursday morning after he “sucker punched” an EMT and escaped from an ambulance, according to a Taunton Police report.

The suspect will be summonsed on charges of assault and battery on ambulance personnel and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a stretcher, according to the report.

At around 1:07 a.m., Thursday Aug. 31, four officers responded to a request by Brewster Ambulance to assist with the recovery of an escaped psychiatric patient. Police arrived on scene at 13 Cedar St. to find the suspect dressed in a hospital gown attempting to climb over a fence behind the building.

The suspect was placed in handcuffs after complying with an officer’s request to stop.

According to the report, a Brewster Ambulance emergency medical technician told police the suspect was in the process of being transported to Boston for an involuntary commitment to a psychiatric facility. The EMT said that the ambulance was traveling eastbound on Main Street when the suspect distracted him and punched him in the face.

The suspect was then able to kick open the rear door of the ambulance and escape, according to the EMT’ statement.

Patrolman John Borges accompanied the EMTs back to Morton Hospital, where the suspect was placed in an emergency treatment room. While the suspecto was being helped into a hospital bed from a stretcher, he “intentionally” kicked the stretcher into the same EMT he had allegedly punched, according to the report.

Further details in the report state that the suspect was continuously “verbally abusive” toward the EMT during the encounter.

Borges said the suspect could not be taken into custody from Morton because he was there on an involuntary psychiatric commitment.

Borges is requesting the suspect be summonsed on the two two assault and battery charges.